


Secret Life of Pets and Avengers

by Lasenby_Heathcote



Category: Agent Carter (TV), Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cat POV, F/M, Matchmaking, Meet-Cute, Neighbours, Pets, Shy Steve Rogers, Steggy - Freeform, Steggy Secret Santa, by a cat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-11 22:54:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9038516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lasenby_Heathcote/pseuds/Lasenby_Heathcote
Summary: Peggys cat takes a swan dive into the arms of her hot neighbour. 
Steve smuggles him back to her. 
The cat tries to complete his mission. 
 
Based on the prompts "My cat has just jumped out the window and you've caught him in your arms." and "We're not allowed pets but I know you've got a cat, and I want to make a deal - I won't dob you in if you let me pet him."





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for morgiesan as part of the Steggy Secret Santa 2016.
> 
> Many thanks to captainwondyful for talking this one out with me :)

The breeze was a welcome thing floating through the open window, Peggy had worked up a sweat spring cleaning. Buster ducked through her feet, padding to the desk and jumping to his new favourite spot in the sun. The breeze ticked at his whiskers and ruffled his fur. Suddenly he stood up and started pacing at the open window, chirping and purring as he paced. Peggy looked up concerned and came over to her cat. Out the window on the street she could see a man who looked like her neighbour on the phone, and then a large bird swooped across the side of the building. Buster meowed as it passed, turning to follow it’s flight.  
  
  
_The window was open. Buster sat in the breeze, listening, waiting, watching. He purred in contentment, but stayed alert._  
_A caw from outside caught Buster’s attention. He got to his paws and paced by the window._  
_"Redwing! What do you see?”_  
_The bird swooped past Buster’s line of vision._  
_"On the street. Your target.”_  
_Buster stopped his pacing to look down. He’d been following the man with Red’s help for weeks, waiting for the right moment to engage. The man gave a wave to Buster, which Buster replied to by smooching the window frame. Target acquired._  
_“You going to do it this time?” the bird cawed, swinging past again._  
_Buster purred in indecision. “She could still achieve it herself.”_  
_"C’mon! You know humans. This is your best chance yet! Don't be a pussy about it!”_  
_Buster hissed under his breath. Damn cocky bird._  
  
  
“Oh, no, no, you’re going to leave that thing alone, it’s big enough to carry you off.” Peggy chastised, picking Buster up and depositing him on the floor away from the window. She turned back to her organising, reaching for her stereo to turn it on when she was startled by a determined sounding meow behind her.  
  
  
_Suddenly, his human scooped him up and put him on the floor away from the table. He could hear Red cawing, “Target about to move! Window closing!”_  
_Buster meowed loudly “Fuck it,” turned and sprang across the table, launching himself out the open window._  
_"GERONIMO!”_  
  
  
“Buster, no!” Peggy called as she turned and saw the ball of fluff launch himself across the table and out the open window after the bird. Peggy wrenched the table out of the way and grabbed the ledge forcing her upper body out the same space her cat had just exited. She stared down to the ground ready to scan up the street to see where Buster had ended up running after his fall. Peggy’s search was stopped abruptly by the rather comical sight of buster laid out on his back, cradled in the arms of Peggy’s rather muscular neighbour from down the hall.  
  
  
_The wind whipped through his fur coat and he twisted, preparing to land. But his descent was stopped abruptly by the cradle of human arms. His target’s. Buster could see Red doing a victory lap in the air above them, cawing in triumph. Buster chirped at his target, watching the man's eyes soften. Target engaged._  
_Buster’s human called from the window, initiating chatter between his target and his human and Buster purred, pleased that everything was going to plan._  
  
  
The tall man wore a look of pure astonishment on his face as he looked from the fluffy creature in his arms, up to the windows where the creature had fallen from. He put his hand to his ear, speaking briefly into a phone, then tucked it into his jeans, meeting Peggy’s eye, where she wore the same astonished look (mirrored also in Busters windswept whiskers.). The stared at each other for a moment and then the man shrugged his muscular arms, bobbing Buster in Peggy’s direction and called up to the window,  
“Uh, um, I think you dropped something.”  
Peggy covered her laugh with her hand, her shock broken by the dorky comment. The both broke into smiles.  
“Could you bring his up please? Buster’s an indoor cat, he’s not supposed to be outside.”  
Steve raised his eyebrow and looked at the apartment foyer.  
“You know he’s not supposed to be inside either, the landlord doesn’t allow cats.”  
“I know that! That’s why you need to get him up here now without anyone seeing you! Please?” Peggy’s demand turned into something closer to pleading that Steve was helpless to resist.  
He relaxed his shoulders and turned his head side to side, carefully checking the street for familiar faces as he shielded the cat with his body. Juggling Buster into the crook of one arm, he used his now free hand to unzip his blue jacket and with a little shuffling, secreted the cat against his chest and zipped himself back up, shushing the cat who meowed as the jacket closed over him.  
  
  
_What was NOT to plan, however, was the sudden, but unmistakeable action of his target zipping Buster up inside his jacket. Buster meowed in surprise, hoping Red might still hear him, but all Buster got in reply was a gentle shushing from his target._  
  
  
Peggy hid another laughed as her attractive neighbour cradled the lump in his jacket awkwardly. He scanned the sidewalk again then called up, “Buzz me in!”  
“I'm in 2B!” Peggy called out the window before legging it to her door to buzz her personal cat smuggler into their building.  
She swung the door open impatiently waiting in the doorway for the elevator to bring them up.  
  
  
_Cradled in darkness, all Buster could hear was the rustling of fabric and the beat of his target’s heart under the warm muscle. This part of the mission was undermined, and relied squarely on his humans rescue instinct._  
  
  
A minute later a light ding heralded the arrival of her neighbour and he poked his head out first before following with the rest of his body once he’d seen the coast was clear and apprehensively stepped out of the elevator and sneaked up the hall to her door (at least as stealthily as a 6foot plus man can with a cat up his shirt can be). He stopped in front of her, paused a moment before smiling awkwardly,  
“Delivery for 2B?”  
The man was dork but Peggy was still endeared. She met his smile.  
  
  
_Buster waited with baited breath, purring lightly to calm himself when the jostling stopped and his target’s voice above him was joined by human’s familiar vocals and Buster relaxed. His human might make a terrible cat but he was willing to trust her ability to gain his freedom from his current confines, and finish the mission as planned._  
  
  
“So are you going to give him back?” Peggy gestured to the lump on the man’s chest. He opened his and closed his mouth like he was deciding what to say, and realising he’d been quiet for too long, offered,  
“Any chance for some negotiations?”  
Peggy was stunned. “For the return of MY cat? Or what, you’ll tell the landlord?”  
His shoulders met his ears defensively, a shocked and a little bit hurt look covering his handsome face.  
“No, no, no! Damn it, I mean, I was just going to ask to come by? And pet him? I miss having a cat and...” he trailed off grimacing, followed by a sigh as he dropped his shoulders.  
“Can we start this again? I'm Steve, 2D.” He offered a hand.  
“Peggy.” She said after a pause, taking his hand in hers.  
Suddenly the door to 2C opened, Mrs Jacobson exiting into the corridor. Peggy gasped, thinking that she’ll have to pass by the unnatural sight of Steve’s bulky jacket to get to the elevator, and Mrs Jacobson was one to definitely stop and talk to everyone, including the landlord..! Steve had already turned his shoulder between them when they heard “Oh hello Steven!”  
Drastic measures would be needed to stop Mrs Jacobson from talking to them and ruining her life with Buster and Peggy did the only thing she could think of. That is to say, Peggy grabbed Steve firmly by the lapels and dragged him in for a kiss.  
He tasted of coffee and surprise, but he quickly got with the program and pushed them both into Peggy’s apartment, leaving the sound of Mrs Jacobson mutter “Oh young people these days!” on the other side of the closing door. They were broken apart by a “meow!” from between them, and they each stepped back to give the other some space.  
  
  
_Suddenly Buster’s ears piqued as a sound from up the hall startled them, his target’s muscles tensing around him. Buster’s tail flicked in aggression, but the way he was crowded into his targets arms, Buster really only succeeded in flicking himself in the face. As he tried to clear his tail from his whiskers, his target lurched forward and Buster found himself pressed between two bodies. OK, now he'd had enough._  
_"Hey! I'm in here!”_   
  
  
Steve released the zip confining his smuggled friend, and Buster shook his head in freedom and purred up at his rescuer. Steve scratched a finger behind one ear “Sorry if I ruffled your whiskers there buddy.”  
  
  
_The pressure released and the walls around him opened up, Buster blinking at the light and shook his whiskers out. He looked up to see his target had infiltrated his human’s abode and made contact and Buster purred in delight. Mission success! He smooched the bold jaw of the man still holding him and was met with a smile._  
  
  
“Buster.” Peggy corrected him.  
“Hmm?”  
“His name is Buster.”  
Steve look affectionately down at the furry face that was purring back up at him. “Buster, huh? Good to finally know.” He looked up to Peggy’s curious head tilt and Steve flushed. “The past couple of weeks I've been seeing him in your window on my way past. He just looked so, I dunno, majestic? Or something. Though you probably should keep him from the window unless anyone sees him.”  
The earnestness of her neighbour melted something in Peggy,( not to mention something in that kiss), and she waved towards the kitchen.  
“Coffee?”  
Buster purred loudly in Peggy’s direction, then butted Steve’s chin with his head.  
“Sure. Its not like Buster is letting me move anyway.”  
“Hang on,” Peggy said, before pulling in the offending window. “Just so he doesn’t try that again.”  
“He didn’t usually sit in the window,” Peggy continues from the kitchen “ his spot was a chair that would get all the sun. But with the better weather I've been having the window open more. Which I think is when, _Buster,_ discovered the bird from upstairs that likes to do it’s acrobatics right outside. I was worried today Buster had decided to go after it.”  
Steve laughed heartily, fondling behind Busters ears. “You don’t want to go doing that, Red is tougher than he looks. Wilson rescued him from a tangle of wires when he was a young bird, and by the time he was healed, was too domesticated to release. Gorgeous bird, if you ever wanna see him Sam’ll happily show him off.” He said the last part more to Peggy than her cat. “He was so happy to find a place like this that allowed Red to come with him. Raved about the place when I needed somewhere to live. Forgot to tell me I’d have to leave my cat with my mom.”  
Peggy scoffed loudly, bringing out two mugs. “Yeah, our landlords weird vendetta about cats. You can have a python in the building but not a kitten. Though I have to say, a rescued falcon has got to be the most impressive pet this building has to hold.”  
  
  
_When his target was seated, Buster raised to his feet and circled. The muscle firm and unyielding beneath his paws proved to be quite comfortable as he settled down, anchoring his target while his human talked. He listened sneakily to the conversation, reminding himself not to tell Red that they were so impressed by the falcons story. The bird was insufferably cocky as it was, and today was Buster’s triumph._  
  
  
“You should see the ant farm.” Steve countered, taking a mug in one hand while Buster settled into the other arm.  
Peggy stopped mid-sip. “Your friend has an ant farm too?”  
“It’s his boyfriend Scott’s. But they’re like, trained. I can’t explain it. You’d have to have dinner with us sometime to see them in action.”  
Peggy blinked a few times in surprise and smiled. “That was smooth, Steve. Smoother than anything else you’ve said today.”  
Steve choked on his mouthful and flushed red, realising she thinks he'd just asked her to dinner. “No one’s ever called me smooth before. Usually it’s ‘dork’ or worse. And I didn't mean dinner like a date, unless you'd want that.... not that you would, but if you _did,_... tell me to shut up before I make this worse-“  
Peggy’s giggling erupted into full bore laughter as Buster sat up and placed his paw right over Steve’s mouth, effectively ending his embarrassing rambling.  
  
  
_The target above him started babbling and Buster sighed. It seemed although he’d done all the work to get him there, some kittens - especially humans, need all the help they can get. He stood on his back paws and reached for the target’s mouth with his paw and the babbling stopped._  
  
  
Steve sat stock still and flushed red, even when Buster removed his paw, only moving when his phone started ringing in his pocket. Excusing himself, Steve got up, carefully extricating himself from Buster’s furry embrace, offering a pitiful “I'll see you around?” before turning for the door. Buster meowed loudly and Peggy left her coffee on a side table and was on her feet in a flash, pulling the tall man in for another kiss, finishing with a gentle smile.  
“Dinner would be great.”  
  
  
_His progress with the humans was cut short by one of those obnoxious noise devices humans are so insistent on respond to, and his target got to his feet to leave. Buster was on his paws yelling, “Stay!” when his human finally took a leaf from his book and smooched the target, face to face. The purrs between them solidified their obvious attraction and Buster looked up at his human, so proud. His kitten was finally growing up!_  
  
  
“Alright. Dinner it is then.” Steve stammered, nodding down to her then exited into the hall, finally answering the phone in his hand.  
Peggy closed the door behind him then ran a hand over Buster’s head on her way back to her chair. Buster flopped into the cushion, rolling to expose his belly fur and purred loudly.  
“There’s no need to look so smug, Buster.”  
Buster just answered her with a meow and rolled over again.  
  
  
_He flopped to the cushion, baring his underbelly to his human and meowed in satisfaction_.  
_"Mission complete.”_


End file.
